ITALIAN professor Paolo Becchi has argued Germany and other EU member states benefitting from the austerity of the eurozone should make up for the EU budget shortfall caused by Brexit.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the former Five Star Movement member argued the EU member states who have profited since the implementation of the euro, should pay for the post-Brexit budget shortfall that will hit the Brussels bloc.

In a dig at German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Becchi claimed Germany is among the member states which should take the responsibility to fill the budget gap caused by the UK leaving the bloc.

He said: “The member states that have benefited the most from the euro in recent years should intervene.

“There’s not a lot more to do. Some of these countries have profited from this situation, like Germany for example.

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The Italian Law Professor also claimed the eurozone was on the verge of collapsing as eurosceptic governments around the bloc have finally started rebelling against Germany and France austerity measures imposed on other member states.

Mr Becchi's warning comes as Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini claimed he would never allow the EU to impose new taxes on member states as he revealed he was aware Brussels was working to come up with a solution to the Brexit budget shortfall by trying to impose a new European tax.

Speaking at a foreign press conference in March, Mr Salvini said: “With Brexit, the EU will lose a contribution of between 50 and 80 million net euros from the United Kingdom in the next seven years.

Some of these countries have profited from this situation, like Germany for example

Paolo Becchi

“Someone in Brussels is thinking of turning this deficit into new taxes to impose on member states. Madness."

The eurosceptic leader took a swipe at former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, who ran Italy between 2011 and 2013 after being appointed by the President of the Republic to lead a government of technocrats in the wake of the Italian debt crisis.

Mr Salvini said: “The mere fact that Mario Monti is helping the Commission trying to come up with a new European tax gives us the outright opportunity to say that with my government there will never be a European tax.

“It’s not up to the EU to impose new taxes.”

The budget shortfall caused by Brexit is set to deepen cracks in the EU, particularly between the position of the European Commission and some central and eastern European countries.

EU member states are already split on how to meet bold new targets for infrastructure projects and increased security with less money once Britain goes.

Germany and France, the biggest EU economies, have said they could increase their contributions with certain conditions.

But a group of other wealthier member states led by the Dutch are opposed to having to chip in more.

The Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Sweden - who are known was the “frugal four” - have refused to stump up any more cash to prop up the bloc in the wake of the UK’s departure.

The smaller and richer members make up the group of 10 countries who contribute more in budget funds than they receive in EU subsidies.